Joanderson Brito is the UFC Vegas 82 fighter to watch

Joanderson Brito looks to continue his momentum in the featherweight division in a big match against Jonathan Pearce at UFC Vegas 82.

Joanderson Brito
Joanderson Brito /
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2023 is coming to a close as the UFC puts on its final cards of the year. UFC Vegas 82 features Paul Craig and Brendan Allen fighting in the main event, but there are multiple interesting matches throughout the card to keep an eye on. Joanderson Brito stands out as the fighter to watch on this card as he walks into an important fight against Jonathan Pearce to close out the preliminary card.

The 28-year-old Brito comes into this fight riding a wave of momentum. He came into the UFC via the Dana White Contender Series back in 2021, where he picked up a victory over another big prospect, Diego Lopes. Since that win, he’s been able to pick up three victories in the Octagon against Andre Fili, Lucas Alexander, and Westin Wilson. All three came via stoppage in the first round. Bill Algeo was able to cut into his initial burst by beating him via unanimous decision in January 2022.

Jonathan Pearce is making a run of his own at featherweight

But to get a victory at UFC Vegas 82, Brito will have to go through Jonathan Pearce. Pearce is enjoying a winning streak of his own, as he’s racked up five straight wins. He joined the UFC back in 2019 with a win on the Dana White Contender Series as well. His campaign started out with a defeat to Joe Lauzon, but since then he’s put on a great run, including a victory over UFC stalwart, Darren Elkins in his latest outing.

This is an interesting matchup for both individuals. Pearce is already identified as a young prospect to watch in the featherweight division and Brito can add his name to the same list if he can pick up a victory. Especially if he keeps his streak of first-round finishes intact.

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